


Off-kilter

by yongflight (Orange_hill)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Platonic Relationships, couple rings, domestic dotae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:41:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27571699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_hill/pseuds/yongflight
Summary: Taeyong has always been precious to Doyoung. He's also an idiot. Never accepting. Always giving. But Doyoung thinks it's time to switch things up a bit. Nothing says a lasting friendship like couple rings of course. Cartier rings no less.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung & Lee Taeyong
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	Off-kilter

Pop.

Pop.

A few more pop before Doyoung reaches his wit's end and snatches the bubble wrap out of Taeyong's grasp.

The latter is miffed about it. Tries to snatch it back but Doyoung's already stuffed it in the tiny gap between himself and the armrest of the couch.

"Give it back." He demands making grabby hands at him.

One peaceful run of "It's okay to not be okay" is all Doyoung wanted and he's not even halfway through the fifth episode yet.

The room is dark, dimly illuminated only by the streak of light from his projector yet he could see Taeyong's expression turning sour by the minute. He crawls towards the farthest corner of the couch, laying his head on the arm rest and curls in on himself.

Letting out a huge sigh, Doyoung turns off the projector, his need to calm down the tantrum throwing baby overtaking his need to catch up on some Kdrama.

Deep down he is sorry. That he's forgotten the purpose of this arrangement. He knows that Taeyong gets very lonely in his room sometimes. He's gone through so much this past year alone that Doyoung can't even fathom how he's still keeping it together without falling completely apart.

He knows why. And that makes him feel even worse for Taeyong. He doesn't get to embrace his own feelings for fear of bringing the morale of their team down. Taeyong doesn't get to complain like the others when there's a bit too much on his plate. At those times, there is nothing that Doyoung wants more than to offer him his shoulder to lean on.

Doyoung has been there for him since their glorious trainee days and has planned to stay by Taeyong's side for as long as he possibly can. He gets up, slides over to the drawers and wages a war within himself. Trepidation sets in faster than the Tokyo Shinkansen as he looks at the two plush velvet boxes and then at Taeyong who hasn't moved a muscle from the fetal posture he's settled in.

He chides himself for over thinking. It's not like he's proposing to his lover. Far from it. That's his companion laying on the couch, his partner in crime, his 'baby' who's apparently two years older than him yet can't take care of himself properly.

A subconscious smile stretches his lips. He's thinking. Since when has this codependency existed? He doesn't have a clue. It just happened before he realized.

One cautious step after another, he gets close to the unsuspecting lump and seats himself as before. It's eerily quiet save for the mechanical hum of the air-conditioner. A few seconds pass before Doyoung places the boxes on the coffee table and picks up the abandoned sheet of bubble wrap.

He blindly searches for bubbles to pop as most of them seem to have been thoroughly dealt with by Taeyong. When he feels sure about one, he presses down hard making it pop. He has to admit though. It feels oddly satisfying. Taeyong, on the other hand, remains stationary for the most part.

Feeling encouraged, he goes for one more. Then another and another, until it demands for Taeyong's attention.

"Give it back. There's not much left for me to pop." Taeyong lunges at him, snatching the sheet back.

"Hey I just wanted to see what's so fascinating about it anyway!" He gets defensive.

"Go hoard your own bubble wrap." Taeyong especially gets snappy when he's ignored. This would be the perfect time to show him what a seven year old bond has culminated into.

He makes sure to lean on the coffee table over the exact spot he's placed the velvet boxes on so that Taeyong's eyes could track him. And Taeyong does see them, goes mute and throws away the bubble wrap he was so engrossed in a few seconds ago.

"Say something." Doyoung pleads.

"I.....I didn't know you have a lover." Doyoung physically smacks himself on his face. Then again, anyone could have taken it out-of-context and come to that exact conclusion. He starts over.

"No...it's for you. I mean these...are for us." He grabs one of them, opening it to reveal the beautiful rose gold Clash de Cartier ring. Taeyong is too stunned for words. He delicately palms it, peruses it in every angle with wide eyed fascination.

"How much?" Doyoung is reluctant to tell him. But then again, Taeyong would find out about it from the internet eventually.

"About 8000 bucks." He says and when he thinks Taeyong's big eyes can't get any bigger, they do, upon realizing how expensive the rings are.

"You spent 8 million won on friendship rings? Are you crazy?" He shoots up squeaking loudly.

"Shhhh! Keep it down! You're gonna wake up the 10th floor at this rate!" Doyoung pulls him down by his arm.

"But Doyoungie! This is....wow...." Taeyong stutters and it's endearing to watch him just look at the ring.

"Aren't you gonna wear it?" Taeyong's eyes gleam with emotions at that. Doyoung has always been this way. Tough and condescending on the outside. Warm and fuzzy on the inside. It brings him back to the time when he just casually tossed the idea about couple rings much to Doyoung's horror. He has begged and pleaded with him to tell him his ring size, even going as far as sneaking into his room with a piece of thread and then literally planting his face on the mattress as Doyoung flipped and trapped him underneath.

Even to this day, he couldn't tell- hell- no one could have been able to tell that Doyoung was seriously considering it. Yet he's made sure not to breathe a word of it to anyone, patiently waiting for the most opportune moment.

Taeyong feels his heart race. It's stupid. Yet he couldn't help but feel flustered by the suddenness of it all. In a third person's perspective, this could have manifested into an impromptu proposal of sorts. Except this is unlike any moment that can transpire between them, ever.

"Do I put this on myself?" Taeyong bites his tongue as soon as he asks and Doyoung forces himself not to shrivel up in a flustered mass on the couch beside him.

"Please don't make it weird." He says and gives Taeyong the silver one instead.

"Doyoung ah this is pretty too but I kinda wanted the rose gold-"

"Ahh but the silver one is of your size though. I bought the rose gold one for my size." Doyoung's gummy smile is infuriating as Taeyong turns away and slides the ring onto his pointer finger. He observes it once again, appreciating the contrasting gleaming silver against his slender finger.

"It looks good on you." Doyoung says out of the blue.

"You're just saying this so I don't come for your rose gold version, aren't you?" Taeyong teases.

"Oh my god! If it's that much of a hassle, you can wear mine too whenever you want!" He lets out an exasperated sigh. At long last, he's come to a realization about the infamous 'Tom and Jerry' dynamics they got going on. Taeyong is definitely Jerry. He riles him up, irritates him to no end but when he leaves for his own activities, it's just a gaping hole in Doyoung's life that can't possibly be filled.

At the moment though, Doyoung doesn't care about anything except for the big smile plastered on Taeyong's face as he removes his ring and hands it over to him.

"Look! It fits my thumb!" He gestures.

"Well you've got twigs for fingers. What do you expe- owww!" He's afraid he's gonna bruise his shoulder because that was one hard smack!

"That's it! Gimme back my ring!"

"Over my dead body!" Taeyong springs to the door with his tongue poking out. A literal child! Doyoung says inwardly and just lets him take off with both rings. There is chatter on the other side. He hears Johnny's dramatically loud gasp and a second later the other occupants of the 5th floor dorm come barging in as well.

"You two got yourselves couple rings!" Johnny hollers.

"I've always known you like to splurge on people you're close to but damn hyung! Cartiers? Are you fucking with me?" Haechan brazenly exclaims.

"Hey hey hey keep it down or the 10th floor's gonna crowd my room too!" Doyoung says.

"Ya well too late for that. Taeyong's already taken the elevator up." Johnny says nonchalantly.

Safe to say that Doyoung didn't get to sleep a wink that night as the rest of the members kept him up. Taeyong included. Wearing two Cartier rings. The gleam of his smile on his sleep laden face rivals that of those rings and Doyoung knows he wouldn't trade it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Hope everyone's keeping safe and well in these trying times.
> 
> I've been doing well as opposed to how I was earlier. Had to take a break to concentrate on more important stuff. I sincerely apologize for not being as active.
> 
> That being said, I wanna treat this story as my own personal comeback. Who would have thought I'd be churning out Dotae of all Taeyong centric ships after a self-imposed hiatus! Jaeyong I'm sorry!
> 
> Fear not. I have a few ideas for Jaeyong and they're in the works including all my current wips.
> 
> So here it is! Couple rings are such fic material items no?
> 
> Read and enjoy and tell me what you think of this one. Leave me a comment, kudos if you think this read is worthwhile!
> 
> Love you all so much. Have a great day!
> 
> Talk to me, my ccs are open!  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/Orange_hill)
> 
> Give me a follow if you like!  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/gulkandkulfi)


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